Emergency Care Center Planned For Delco With Infusion Of State Funding

Main Line Health has received a $4 million state grant to expand emergency care in Delaware County to help offset the recent closure of two Delco hospitals.

The end of Crozer Health closed hospitals in Chester and Ridley Park last year, adding pressure to Delco's remaining hospitals: Riddle Hospital in Media and Mercy Fitzgerald in Darby.

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Main Line Health's other hospitals have also seen what officials call a significant and unsustainable surge in emergency-department volume since Crozer ceased operations.

Crozer went under after the bankruptcy of its parent company — Prospect Medical Holdings, a private-equity firm based in Los Angeles.

Main Line received a state grant through the state's Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP). The funding will support a "full-service" outpatient emergency facility with treatment bays, CT scanners, general radiology rooms, an ultrasound room, an outpatient lab and MRI services.

The project description (see line 318 of this spreadsheet) does not include inpatient care. However, the facility will house primary care and family medicine, plus specialized treatment for trauma, heart attack, stroke, and minor injuries and illnesses.

The facility's capacity, location and timeline for construction are to be determined. But a Main Line spokesperson confirmed it's planned for Delco.

"We are actively evaluating options to expand our emergency care capacity and look forward to sharing more details as those plans develop," spokesperson Larry Hanover told Patch via email.

Crozer's shutdown exacerbated health care inequities for poor and working-class communities in southeastern Delco, removing hospitals, medical services and EMS infrastructure.

Meanwhile, four of Main Line Health's five hospitals operate in the affluent region for which it's named — all except Riddle Hospital. And one of them, Paoli Hospital, is planning a major expansion.

But Delco's state lawmakers say Main Line Health's plans to expand in the county are a critical step to restoring health care services after Prospect's demise.

"Private equity created this crisis, and the damage they caused can’t be undone," Rep. Lisa Borowski (D-168) said in a statement. "But this $4 million public investment gives Main Line Health the footing to start rebuilding emergency care access after Prospect walked away."